You know how fine crystal glassware rings when you tap it with your fingernail. Well that is what the heads of these Bavarian axes do when you tap them - a 'ping....' that gradually fades, just like crystal. What does that tell you? The fact is that these are finely tempered and highly tuned cutting tools that will last a lifetime.

The convex edge, which can only be found in Bavarian or Austrian axes (or Norse axes, but that's another story) is a top notch cutting instrument made by an extraordinary smith. The long circumference of the head (a full 6") provides a longer striking surface than other axes and therefore helps ensure that you will strike solid wood with your swing. And the head is forged to be slightly thicker just behind the leading cutting edge but thins out slightly afterwards, thus reducing "wedging" pressure and enhancing penetration. This is a beautiful detail and allows exceptional performance. This firm is 350 years old (yes, that's right - 11 generations) and works hand in glove with a wagon maker who makes the hickory handles by hand.

The limbing axe is 25" and weighs 3 lbs. The Felling Axe is 29" and weighs 4-1/4 lbs. Uniquely, the poll (the butt end opposite from the cutting edge) of the Felling Axe is tempered so that this tool can also be used as a striking Maul. (This is not true for the smaller Limbing Axe.) There's little more to say except that the handles are exceedingly comfortable to hold. These are a bit expensive, but you'll love them.

Customer Ratings and Reviews

Lose heads

Will Petty,
7/29/2017
I do know that if a head becomes lose it's a good idea to soke the head in water a few nights and that problem will fix itself

Good hard use axe, poor customer service.

James Zuhlke,
4/4/2017
Beautiful felling axe, well made but not a gransfors bruks or a wetterlings. The bit is not completely straight and the head is not seated as well as I would like, but it is still solid after felling a few trees. I sanded the handle quite a bit to thin it out, put four coats of boiled linseed oil on it, and made a heavy duty sheath out of some scrap leather from an equestrian supply store. Its nice enough to be proud of, but not nice enough to not put to hard use. I had waited over a month to receive this item from garret wade after I was told it was shipped, twice, when it was in fact on back order. Probably the worst customer service I have ever had to deal with. Next time I will call to verify the the product I'm ordering is actually in stock, because the website is not updated frequently.

Response By: Garrett Wade Tech DepartmentThank you for posting a review on the German Convex-Edge Axe. Please accept our sincerest apologies for the misleading information you received from our customer service department. We will be looking into how and why this happened, as it should not have.

Wow! I Mean Wow!

Charles O'Neal,
11/25/2014
Wow! I bought this axe for the history alone and I must say how thrilled I was when the axe showed up at my door as promised and I was able to play" with it immediately. The razor sharp edge shaved the hair off my arm right out of the box! I used it to fell a small 10" tree that afternoon. It felt good in my hands and perfectly weighted for easy chopping. Although I fly jets for a living, my great grandfather and great uncle were blacksmiths. So were their fathers. Looking at the hammer marks on the head made a connection with me and my heritage. I show everyone my axe who will stand still long enough for me to retrieve it from my shop. I really want the splitting axe now!! November 2014 Rate & Review Grand Prize $100 Winner. Congratulations, Charles!!

Loose Head

John Black,
1/29/2014
I can't begin to tell you how extremely disappointed I am at the merchandise I purchased and just received from you.The Axe Head on the Bavarian Felling Axe is so loose; I think I could pull it off with my bare hands. Not to mention the black marks on the Handle. I returned it and Garrett Wade promptly refunded my money.

Response By: Garrett Wade Tech DepartmentThank you for your review on our Bavarian Felling Axe. We are sorry that you had trouble with the axe head becoming loose, and apologize for the black marks that appeared on the handle. Because wood swells and shrinks in different weather conditions, an axe head will from time to time become loose. When this happens we recommend using a hammer or mallet with a punch or nail set to drive the wooden wedge into the handle tenon to improve the fit. We appreciate your feedback and we will now include instructions to accompany each order for this item.

No Substitute For Experience

Mark,
1/22/2014
I have seen and used many axes in my time. I have come to see that you can have the best tools made but if you don't know how to use them then they will not work right Mr. Jacksonville FL.! This does not make the tool defective it just means you need to learn how to use it properly. These are some of the finest axes I have found I have a limbing axe but I am planning on getting the felling axe!

Great Disappointment

Bill,
12/28/2013
While my son and I had great expectations we were very disappointed by the performance of this Axe. Upon first use the blade of the axe separated and wood from the tree became logged in the vacant space created by the separation. There is nothing more to say. However, I must commend Amber, Customer Service representative, Garrett Wade for quickly responding to my email and providing an offer to replace the axe or refund.

Response By: Garrett Wade Tech Department Thank you for your review on the Bavarian Limbing Axe. We are sorry you experienced this problem with it. You may have received one that is defective. Please return it for an exchange. In the meantime, we have contacted our maker regarding this issue.

Must Have Got A Defect!

Stephen C.,
11/14/2013
Received my ABERL Felling Axe today, and I am not impressed, the hickory handle grain is not aligned with the head. Blade sharpness needs work before using. $167.00 Axe and does not include a basic leather blade cover? I have Gransfors Bruks Swedish Axes that are top quality out of the box, for less money spent. Maybe the other reviewers here, got quality axes, I did not.

Actually Met The Blacksmith In Germany

BWFurniture,
11/3/2013
I met the blacksmith that makes these axes by chance while traveling in Bavaria. He is in fact a great craftsman continuing a family tradition is a very old shop. He was kind enough to give me and a family member a free patch knife for hunting after talking with him about his trade. Quality all around with this craftsman.

Disappointed

Dave,
1/29/2012
I collect and use axes, and was excited about this one, so it was a huge letdown when I finally received it. It is a beautiful axe, but the handle was cracked and the grain ran perpendicular to the axe head at 90 degrees. This actually the worst grain orientation in an axe I've ever seen. This is unfortunate because the handle is comfortable and beautifully designed. On top of that the head was not mounted parallel to the handle resulting in a blade slightly cocked to one side. The eye of the axe was not uniformly shaped which left big gaps between handle and head. these are not problems that should exist in a $150 axe!

Great tool

Eric K,
1/5/2012
I received this axe as a Christmas gift and have used it to limb trees. It is well balanced and fits the hand properly. It cut beautifully right out of the box and cleared a nice area for my daughter and I as we went out on our first official" hunting expedition in the woods of upstate NY. I'm quite pleased with the workmanship and look forward to putting this axe to good use on our land as well as on camping/backpacking trips."

Wunderbar!!!

Tina Liedle,
11/29/2011
I am the director of a Bavarian/Austrian Folk Dance troupe which performs a traditional men's dance, called the Holzhacker (wood chopper). The performers represent Alpine loggers on a cold, winter day. As they dance, they slap their hands and feet to keep warm, then take up their axes and chop logs in rhythmic patterns to the music.

As you may imagine, it was exhilarating to find genuine Bavarian axes on your website! We bought several of them and plan to buy more. We appreciate the superb quality of these axes: the balance and artistic curvature of the handle, designed for smooth, efficient movements, and the natural materials which are not spoiled by stamps and labels. The clean, professional performance of these axes means that we can now give a cleaner and more professional performance as well. The musical ring is a nice touch! We also look forward to putting these axes (and our men) to work on a stack of winter firewood. Thank you for making these authentic, quality axes available to us! November 2011 Rate & Review Honorable Mention $50 Winner. Congratulations, Tina!!"

Very Nice

Mark,
5/27/2011
I bought the larger axe and have only used it briefly to test the balance and heft and from what I can tell it's a great tool. The convex blade doesn't get wedged in the wood when chopping, which makes for more efficient cutting. And besides, it feels good in my hands.

A Work Of Art

Christopher Conti,
3/29/2011
I know axes, and this one is perfection. Every hammer mark is a sign of the care taken in its creation. The European head shape gives so much cutting length, they can even be used for general camp cutting and slicing chores.

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We try very hard to maintain stock on all our over 3,500 items at all times. But, with over 300 suppliers in a dozen countries, it is inevitable that a hiccup will happen now and then.If we are out of stock on something you have ordered, we ask you to be patient. We won't forget you or your order, and will ship the missing item within 24 hours after we get it in our warehouse (the expected date on your order is based on the information available at order time). You can cancel a backorder at any time by notifying us by phone, mail, fax or e-mail.

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